What a friend would tell you
What UCD is looking for
UC Davis uses the UC application, and Personal Insight Questions should highlight interests aligned with Davis strengths: agriculture, veterinary sciences, environmental science, or food science. GPA and test scores drive the initial sort. Students who show specific engagement with Davis programs (like the Internship and Career Center's ag connections, or the pre-vet pathway) distinguish themselves. Passion for sustainability or food systems reads well here.
What students wish they'd known
Davis is a small college town surrounded by farmland; Sacramento is 15 miles east but requires a car. Summer heat regularly exceeds 100 degrees, and the smell of cow manure drifts across campus on certain days. The campus is so large and spread out that biking is essentially mandatory. The social scene is mellow to a fault; students who want urban excitement or vibrant nightlife will be disappointed. Some programs outside STEM and agriculture feel like afterthoughts.
UCD might be a fit if...
- You want the country's best pre-vet or agricultural science program inside a UC research university
- You love the idea of a bike-everywhere college town surrounded by farmland, orchards, and wine country
- You want a laid-back California campus where sustainability and food science are part of the culture, not just course topics
UCD Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: RD only
Deadlines: RD December 1
Deadlines: RD December 1
Test Policy
Test-free (scores not considered)
Scores are not considered at all; submitting them does nothing. Grades, course rigor, and essays carry the full weight here.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Not offered
Yield Rate
37%
Only 37% of admits choose to enroll. The waitlist moves more than you'd think; if you land on it, make your interest loud.
Want the strongest possible application to UCD, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at UCD
$45,000
Sticker Price
$17,000
In-State Tuition
$2,500
Avg Merit Aid
Need-blind admissions. Meets need: Yes (CA residents). 78% receive financial aid.
For context: UCD spends about $14,500 per student per year on instruction and student resources, right around the $15K national average.
What UCD Graduates Get
$64,000
Avg Starting Salary
91%
Employed or in Grad School
70%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (84%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
UCD Campus & Culture
The Campus
UC Davis sprawls across 5,300 acres of former farmland in the Sacramento Valley, making it one of the largest university campuses in the country. The campus is flat, tree-lined, and famously bike-friendly, with over 22,000 bikes and a dedicated bike traffic circle (the Bike Roundabout). The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science anchor the west campus. Dairy barns, horse paddocks, and experimental orchards share space with engineering labs. Downtown Davis (pop. 68,000) is a five-minute bike ride.
The Social Scene
College town, bike culture, farmer's market, laid-back California vibe
UCD Traditions & Trivia
Picnic Day
Since 1909, UC Davis has thrown what is believed to be the largest student-run open house in the country, drawing over 75,000 visitors each April for a parade, cockroach races, a battle of the bands, and the famous Doxie Derby dachshund race.
Academics at UCD
What UCD is known for
Agricultural science, veterinary medicine, sustainability, bike culture
Most popular majors at UCD
Standout programs
Agriculture, animal science, veterinary pre-health, environmental science, engineering
How the curriculum works
General education (30 units required), major requirements vary
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 3 years math, 2 years science, 2 years social studies, 2 years foreign language
Notable UCD Alumni
Wayne Thiebaud
Painter famous for his cakes and pies, UC Davis art professor for decades
Ann Veneman
First woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, UC Davis class of 1972
Andreas Katsulas
Actor who played G'Kar on Babylon 5, UC Davis theater
Dario Robleto
Contemporary artist working at the intersection of science and art, UC Davis MFA
If you like UCD, also consider
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Similar hands-on applied learning with Central Coast college-town feel
UC Santa Barbara
Beach-town UC with more social energy
Cornell University
Ivy with top agriculture and veterinary programs, very different setting
University of Vermont
Sustainability-focused with Burlington's college-town culture
Oregon State University
Pacific Northwest peer with strong agricultural and environmental programs